Hi, I'm Jasmine! I collate my writing and brainstorms on reading.supply.
I write a lot about books, digital life, and Coming Of Age; I believe in ideas and world-building and trusting your passions. I try to strike a balance between being generative and adversarial, but as with all things, it’s a work in progress.
I'm currently most excited about designing better information ecosystems. By day, I work on product at Substack; by night, I run Reboot, a publication and community reclaiming techno-optimism for a better collective future. I also dabble in projects around the sociology and politics of crypto, an effort supported by the Ethereum Foundation and 0xPARC. On weekends, I wander New York City and try to read and write recreationally when I can.
My past work has included research and product roles across the civic innovation ecosystem: tech policy at Schmidt Futures, disaster resilience at the startup One Concern, public interest tech curricula for Stanford CS classes, smart city policy at ICDI, hosting the podcast Rebuilding Government, and researching online social networks at the Oxford Internet Institute. I've also done a few brief, fruitless stints in finance, consulting, and Big Tech (TM).
But I've often had the most fun learning outside of work and school. Some of these formative experiences included six years as a competitive debater; ten years writing anonymously on countless blogs and forums; and miscellaneous long-term volunteer roles at museums, domestic violence agencies, and writing nonprofits.
Your personal research/writing process
Books you've loved and hated
The future of news/information media
Your favorite cities
What being an “ethical technologist” means
Going from social theory to practice
Strong opinions, weakly held. We should strive to understand the world; develop hypotheses; keep learning; and update accordingly.
Theory and practice are mutually informative. Good ideas alter mindsets, trajectories, and cultures. The best ones are derived from experience.
Optimism is an action, not a belief. We can and should exercise our agency to make the world better than it is.
Values are revealed through real-life tradeoffs. Nuance lives in the gap between actions and proclamations.
Moral courage is a muscle that requires exercising. Standing up for the little things develops the skills and backbone to stand up for the big.
Long-term principles > short-term planning > long-term planning. Things won't go as predicted, but will fall into place if you live by your values.
Privilege is de-risking. It affords the opportunity do the more authentic, exciting, or right thing, instead of the easy thing.
Own your burnout. Working hard is great, but should serve personal goals rather than peer or corporate pressure.
Email jasminesun at stanford dot edu
DM me on Twitter
I'm really bad at texting, so would love to chat irl or on a quick call.
--
this document is inspired by @jasminewang
(last updated: aug 18, 2021)
To reply you need to sign in.